Multicultural counseling competence assessment: The development of the Demonstrated Multicultural Awareness and Knowledge Scale

The population of the United States has become diverse and is expected to continue to become more diverse in the next decades. The change in the diversity of the population is important for those in the counseling profession to become aware of and become more competent in their practice. Multiculturalism has been a driving force within counseling psychology and continues to be a researched topic in competence development of practitioners. Research has found several limitations in the current multicultural counseling competency assessments available; one major limitation is the assessments all measure perceived competence through the use of self-report or observer-ratings, rather than demonstrated competence of the practitioner. This study sought to validate the use of a demonstrated multicultural counseling competency assessment; the Demonstrated Multicultural Awareness and Knowledge Scale. Data was collected from graduate students in psychology or social work programs across the country. The final sample of 124 graduate students provided responses the DMAKS, the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale, and the Quick Discriminate Index. Additionally, qualitative feedback was collected to revise the original version of the DMAKS. The study produced a revised version of the DMAKS to be validated, a seven factor loading for the items on the DMAKS, and possibilities for future studies that can assess demonstrated multicultural counseling competence of graduate students